"Pellegrini had just lost his job at Real Madrid despite doing a really good job there and giving Barcelona a run for the La Liga title.

“He was available and we needed a manager. For me, it made perfect sense. I said so, telling Purslow that Pellegrini was the right man. It wasn’t just because I knew him. It was more about the style of football that he plays, getting teams to attack all the time.

"Pellegrini has an attacking mentality and, when Purslow asked me about him, I said, ‘He’s a great manager and a great man in the dressing room’. He would never sit deep and just accept being put under pressure by opponents.

“I know that the club spoke to Pellegrini a couple of times when they were looking for a new manager because he told me.

“He called me and asked me what the mood was like in the dressing room, what the players were thinking and so on. I really hoped that he would get the job.”